The popularity of rock climbing has created a market for artificial climbing walls. Climbing walls with continuous sliding belts have been recently developed to accommodate climbers who have limited space. These climbing walls provide a continuous climbing surface for recreation, training and fitness purposes. Some known climbing walls with continuously sliding belts are powered by electric motors. Other climbing walls, such as the climbing walls manufactured by Brewer's Ledge Inc., the assignee of the present application, use the climber's own weight to power the sliding belts.